Cigar and cigarette lighter



Jan. 30, 1951 s. BACK CIGAR AND CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed July 17, 1945 IU Ill NVENTOR 554/6 34e/f A T TOQNEY Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES, PATENT g OFFICE` 1 Claim.

My invention relates to cigarette or cigar lighters of the so called sparking type in which a spark is created by means of a flint to ignite a wick carrying lighter fiuid and has for one of its objects the provision of novel means whereby the wick may be kept at maximum saturation for relatively long periods of time to maintain the lighter at a high degree of efficiency.

Another object of my invention is to provide a lighter of the class described which shall be so constructed and arranged as to house a removable cartridge or container of lighter fluid and in which self -regulatory means shall be provided for automatically feeding iiuid from said cartridge to the wick chamber so that when the absorbent material therein has become saturated the flow of fluid from the cartridge will stop until such time as a certain quantity of the lighter fluid has evaporated from the wick chamber, when fluid will again be supplied from the cartridge, such action continuing until the iiuid in the cartridge has been exhausted.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cigar or cigarette lighter of the character described which shall comprise relatively few and f simple parts, which shall be easy to assemble and use and which shall represent a general improvement in the art.

v Still further objects of my invention will hereinafter be pointed out or will become apparent from the detailed description to follow.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal cross-sectional view of a cigarette lighter constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention; Y

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof, with certain portions of the outer wall broken away to disclose the interior construction thereof.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, I have shown a cigar or cigarette lighter constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention and comprising generally a casing Iii of metal or other suitable material and of any conventional shape, such as, for example, being elongated in one direction and rounded at the sides, as shown. The said casing It may consist of a continuous surrounding side wall i l, a top wall l2 and a bottom wall I4. The said top and bottom walls I2 and I4 may be attached to the side wall I i by overlapping flange portions in frictional engagement with the side wall. or by welding, to render the casing leakproof and airtight.

The casing l may be divided into two compartments I5 and I6 by means of transverse vertically disposed arcuate wall 20, so disposed as to make the compartment IS substantially circular in cross-sectional contour.

A portion of the transverse wall 2li, adjacent the bottom thereof, is out away to form an opening 22, said opening 22, communicating directly with the two compartments l5 and I 6. Overlying a portion of the bottom wall I 4, is a suitable wick member having the usual absorbent properties. The said wick 25 is of such size that a portion thereof 25a is disposed at the bottom of the compartment I6, while an integral portion 25h, passing through the opening 22 in the wall 2i! is disposed within the compartment I5.

Disposed within the compartment I5 is the usual type of absorbent material 30, such as, for example, cotton adapted to become saturated with lighter iiuid. Into this compartment I5, and in intimate contact with the saturated cotton 3D is a standard type wick 3| adapted to have one of its .free ends 3Ia frictionally fed through a collar 32 in the top wall I2 to be exposed to sparking action from a rotatable wheel 33 and cooperating spring fed flint 34 in any well known manner familiar to the art, the other end 3 Ib of the wick 3l being embedded in the cotton 3l). As is well known, the wick 3l will draw lighter fluid from the cotton 3!! to be ignited by the said spark from the flint 34. Any suitable covering mechanism may be provided for the wick .34, the wheel `33 and the flint 34. One such type of covering is that shown in the drawing and comprises a pair of upstanding bracket members 35 to which there is pivotally attached, by means of the pivots 38, the downwardly depending walls of an inverted, U-shaped cover member 36. A tubular flame snuer 39 may be suitably attached to the cover 36 in proper alignment with the wick end Sla and a spring 4Q normally maintains the cover 36 in closed position.

In accordance with my invention I provide the following means -for automatically supplying lighter uid from a source of supply to the cotton 3i) so that the same will be continuously maintained at substantial saturation until the fluid from the source of supply has been eX- hausted.

The compartment I E is designed to receive therein a cartridge holding a supply of lighter uid. The said cartridge 45 is preferably made in the form of a tubular glass vial. as shown, and' is sealed against evaporation and leakage by a suitable closure member 46. A washer 41 may be interposed between the closure 46 and the cartridge.

Permanently attached -to the bottom wall I4 is an upwardly projecting piercing member 50, comprising the rivet head portion and the tubular portion 52 projecting upwardly therefrom.

It is noted that the top end of the tubular portion 52 is angularly cut to provide a piercing point and that the said portion 52 pierces the wick 25, impaling the same thereon and thus holding the said wick in proper effective position. An opening 55 is provided in the'y tubular portion. 52 which communicates directly with the material of the Wick surrounding the said portion 52.

In use, a sealed cartridge 45, containing lighter uid is placed in the compartment [6 in inverted position and pressed downwardly therein to cause the tubular member 52 to pierce the closure 45 and washer 41 of the cartridge 45. Due to the fact that the wick 25 is porous to provide an. air passageway, fluid from the cartridge 45 will iiow through the tubular member 52 and through the L opening 55 to be absorbed by the wick 25to sat.- urate the entire wick. When this occurs, the cotton 35 in the compartment I5 being in direct contact with the wick 25 will absorb fluid therefrom until the said cotton in turn becomes sat. urated. The Wick 3l will then draw fluid from` the saturated cotton in the usual manner. When the cotton 36 and the Wick 25 have become. saturated, thev flow of fluid from the. cartridge 45 will cease because of vlack of air space necessary to permit the now. When the lighter has been in use for awhile, a portion of the uid. inthe cotton 30'will evaporate thus causing the said cotton to draw some fluid from the wick 25. When this happens, the flow of fluid from cartridge 45 will begin again until the saturation point is reached at which time the ow of fluid from the cartridge will again cease.

It is thus seen, from the above, that I have provided a self-regulatory system for feeding lighter iluid from a source of supply when and as needed.

When the fluid in the cartridge 45 has` been exhausted, the empty cartridge may be readily removed andV replaced with one containing a new supply of fluid.

Itis noted that, in accordance with my invention, the owner of my lighter need only possess aV few extra cartridges to maintain the lighter at maximum operative efficiency for long periods of time without resorting to the hitherto messy and time consuming practice of refueling.

A cap 5t removably threaded into the wall of. the compartment l5 and a spring 6l interposed.` betweenthe cap 55 and the cartridge 45 serves to holdv the said cartridge in the said compartment and to maintain the same pressed against the piercing member 50. A washer between the cap 50 and the top wall I2 will help seal the compartment I 6.

If desired, aY slotted vertically disposed opening '1G may be provided in the casing wall ofY the compartment l5, so that the fluid content of the cartridge may be known at all times. A pro-- tective window member 'il' of' transparent Celluloid or cellophane or the like may be employed to seal the opening 'i0 so that there will be no evaporationV or leakage of'uid and to help render the casing leakproof and airtight.

It willY thus be seen that there i'sv providedv a device in which the objects of' my invention are achieved, and' which is well adapted to meet the conditions ofpracticalv use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is understood that all matter herein set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim l andY desire to secure by Letters Patent is.

A lighter of the class described comprising a casing having a bottom wall, a rst compartment in said casing, a second compartment in said casing, a communicating opening between said compartments, said first compartment containing absorbent material adapted to absorb and hold lighter fuel, an absorbent member, a portion of said absorbent member being disposed in each of said. compartments and passing through said communicating opening, a liquid fuel cartridge having. a discharge opening at the bottom thereof to normally permit theliquid fuel to flow therethrough by the action of gravity when the lighter is` held in upright position, means for removably supporting said cartridge in said second compartment with said discharge opening directly blockedy by and in communication with. the, said portion of said absorbent member disposed in said second compartment so that fuel will flow from. said cartridge only directly tosaid absorbent member to be absorbed thereby, the said portion of said absorbent member disposed in said first compartment being in intimate contactwith. thel said absorbent material therein whereby to transfer fuel from the cartridgeto said absorbent material to saturate the same, said cartridge being normally provided with a closure sealing the fuel contents therein against leakage and evapor-` ration the said closure being of pierceable material, a piercing member fixed to said bottom. Wall and projecting upwardly therefrom into said first compartment, said portion of said absorbent member in said first compartment being impaled on said piercing member, said. piercing. member being adapted to pierce the said closure when the said cartridge is mounted in said rst compartment to form saidV discharge opening, said piercing member having a tubular portion to permit. thefuel from the cartridge to pass therein, andv an opening in the wall of said tubular portion. disposed adjacent said absorbent member so that..

fuel from the cartridge may flow directif to said absorbent member after said closure has been pierced'.

SELIG BACK.

REFERENCESA CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'IFN'ISv Number Name Date 1,911,936 Armstrong May 30, 1933vr 1,941,873 Aronson Jan. 2, 1934' 1,961,577 Aronson June 5', 1934'. 2,211,500 Gabritsch Aug. 13, 1940.-' 2,262,806 Kempf'et al Nov. 18; 1941".

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,826 Great Britain of 1912:` 529,264' Great Britain Nov. 18; 1940- 853.002 France Nov. 18, 1939'y 

